Move to Defender?

[lagartoboy]

What a unique and amazing perspective you have, owning both. A little bit about my recent car purchases. In August 2020, I bought a Tasman Blue 110 HSE with Khaki Windsor leather interior. It had the old school contrasting white roof. I really liked it and had it for over a year. Then when the Bronco came out, I parted with my Defender for almost what I paid for it more than a year and 16k miles earlier.

I’ve had my 2DR Bronco Wildtrak since February 2022 and really like it. But the Grenadier in Fieldmaster trim appeals to me as well, for probably the same reason the Defender and many Land Rovers before that appeal to me, and also for why I was drawn to the Bronco.

If I get the Grenadier or the Defender, it would be my rugged outdoors vehicle, to take to work on bad weather days, or to take the dog out, go to the beach, or for long road trips or highway blasts. (The X5 is great at that but my wife usually drives that.) I live 250 miles from the nearest INEOS or Land Rover dealer. What I’m looking for (and probably already have to some degree with my Bronco) is something:

- Masculine;
- Cool looking;
- Versatile;
- As reliable as possible.

What would you recommend?

You are a lot closer than 250 miles to a dealer now. Sewell is open in San Antonio, which I believe is less than 100 miles from Corpus.

 

[vtgrenadier]

adly they stopped using manuals as rental cars in Australia about 30 years ago.
Very few people under 35 could drive them, or tourists from USA ( a generalisation)
I hired a manual Fiat 500 in Sardinia and Sicily a couple of years ago and a manual Fiat Panda in southern Italy
Common in Europe.
Was interesting not only driving on the opposite side of the road to usual but also changing gears with the right hand instead of the left.
I had to quickly drop back to second once and smashed my left hand into the door.
Solid reminder which side the gear stick is on.

Haha! My poor wife rode one time in a RHD Delica that a buddy of mine had... she screamed with sheer terror as we drove down a twisty, but high speed, road. The lack of steering wheel on her side was disconcerting. I just tried to follow the white fog line on the right side of the road.

It's a shame that I can't acclimate because RHD Land Rover Defenders in the USA are solidly discounted. I could probably pull off a Kei truck (i.e. Acty).

Even more off-topic: the undercarriage on that Delica really impressed me. Zerk fittings galore, indicating that it's a tool for the long term and not just bloated and disposable minivan, like we most of what we get here in the USA. Grass is always greener, right? Anything in the US that AU doesn't get... that's attractive?